Bartz Best In FASTRACK Late Model Special at Seymour!

MODIFIED #54 Benji LaCrosse, 2008 track champion, walked off with his third feature of the year on Saturday night to close out the season at the Seymour Speedway.

The 2008 season came to a close with a special event Saturday night at the Seymour Speedway. A cool, breezy night greeted a hearty group of fans that. watched 154 cars compete on a smooth, fast track.

The Sport Mods took the track first with Troy Jerovetz easing into the lead with Kyle Frederick, Alan Gast, Chad Guyette, Jeremy Cota and Mike Czarapata lining up behind. Jerovetz took off tucked tight to the inside of the track and Frederick chose the outside line. The pair started to pull away from the pack while running side by side. The lone caution during the race appeared on lap 8 and bunched the field.

Jerovetz got a clean break on the restart with Frederick again taking the high line. Again the pair pulled away and after a few laps, Frederick was again alongside the leader. Tracy Wassenberg led the charge behind followed by Cota, Matt Oreskovich, Gast and Clint Forstner.

The leaders continued to pull away to the finish with Jerovetz collecting his second feature win of the season over Frederick. Wassenberg held on to take third over Cota, with Forstner and Oreskovich rounded out the top six.

SPORT MOD #01 Troy Jerovetz won his second feature of the season on the final night of racing for the 2008 season.

Jeremy Wiitala drew the pole and quickly pulled into the lead at the start of the Street Stock season finale. Aaron Melchert, Dereck Lecker, Bill Kelsey, Paul White and Samantha Olson bunched right behind. Wiitala and Melchert ran side by side in the front while White moved into third. Kelsey stayed right with the leaders. Wiitala was running the outside line and Melchert was able to get inside and inch into the top spot on lap 8. White started to use the inside line as the three really mixed it up for the lead. White finally worked into the lead on lap 12, but Wiitala was still strong on the outside, and was scored as the leader on the next lap before the lone caution of the race appeared on lap 14. White was the leader for the restart with Wiitala, Melchert, Kelsey, Lecker, Olson and Harley Simon tucked behind. On the restart, Wiitala did not get up to speed right away which allowed White a break to open a slight lead. Wiitala dropped back through traffic over the final laps due to a broken carb spring.

White, the 2008 division champion, crossed the line for his third feature win of the season. Kelsey was right behind in the runner up spot with Melchert taking third. Lecker was forth while Joe Schwister came through traffic to take fifth and Jon Schultz, making his first run here rounded out the top six.

STOCK CAR #50 Kyle Frederick won a thrilling side by side race long battle with Chaz Van Ooyen to win his third feature of the season saturday night.

The Stock Car division boasted a 40 car field with 24 taking the green for the main event. After a slow start with 3 cautions over the first 4 laps, the field settled down and stayed green to the finish. Chaz Van Ooyen was in the front with Kyle Frederick, Chris Gross, Barry Van Straten, John Mahlberg, Todd True and Dan Michonski behind. Van Ooyen was running inside and Frederick hugged the wall for most of the rest of the race with each swapping the lead several times. Frederick finally found the middle of the track out of turn 2 to his liking and was able to make a few strong runs at the leader late in the race and with 2 laps left, took the lead for good and walked off with his third feature win of the season. Van Ooyen was right behind in the runner up spot. The leaders were well ahead of third place Rod Snellenberger who came from the back of the field through tight traffic after an early race incident. True ran his best race of the season to take fourth. Larry Karcz, Jr settled for a hard fought fifth and Michonski rounded out the top six.

The Mods were up next with Jamie Schmidt taking the lead for the opening lap before Mike Mullen took over on the outside on lap 2. Mullen was running the outside line and like the earlier features, the challenger, 2008 track champion, Benji LaCrosse, came to the front running the inside line, setting up another tight side by side battle for the lead. Mullen was able to hold onto the lead until lap 9, when LaCrosse finally inched into the top spot. For the rest of the non-stop event, LaCrosse held the lead with Mullen staying in striking distance on the outside. They were able to pull away from the hard fought battle for third. Chad Wilcox, Tim Van De Hei, Eric Mullen, Jerry Wilinski and David Werbelow swapped positions until the finish. LaCrosse picked up his third feature win of the season over Mullen. Wilcox took third over Van De Hei with Eric Mullen holding off Wilinski for fifth.

STREET STOCK #86 2008 Track Champion, Paul White, won his third feature of the season on the final night of racing at the Seymour Speedway.

4 CYLINDER #22 Ralph Liegeois, Jr. won his second feature of the year Saturday night at the Seymour Speedway.

Mike Prey grabbed the early lead in the 4 Cylinder main with Andy Kleczka, Adam Court, Josh Novak, Jeff Behm, Trevor Clark and Ralph Liegeois, Jr behind. Prey and Kleczka led the way with Kleczka finally taking the top spot on lap 7. By that time Liegeois was into third place and by lap 9, had worked into the lead. Once in front, Liegeois was able to open a slight lead and ran at the front to the finish of the non-stop race for his second feature win of the season. Kleczka, Behm, Logon Sobieck, Novak, Prey and 2008 champion, Kevin Birr were just behind the leader in a great race to the finish. Liegeois was followed at the finish by Behm, Sobieck, Kleczka, Birr and Prey making the top six.

The FASTRAK Late Models closed the night with a 40 lap Regional Qualifier feature which went flag to flag with pole sitter, Craig Bartz leading every lap. 2008 track champion, Tom Naeyaert, moved into second on lap 5 and closed in on the leader and made a bid for the lead on lap 10, pulling even in turn three and four. Bartz took the challenge to heart and picked up the pace. He would pull away fro the rest of the race and win his second straight feature for the season here. Naeyaert took second with Scott Lewis taking third. Justin Hirt, David Fieber and Jeff Curtin made up the top six.

The race was the final one for the 2008 season at the Seymour Speedway. N.E.W. DIRT would like to thank all the drivers, fans and sponsors for the fantastic support throughout the season.

The final event for this year will be the 25th annual banquet and dance on Saturday November 1st at Doxbee’s in Seymour.

The date for the 2009 season opening car show and practice will be set soon with the season kicking off in May.